With all of the focus on the so-called ‘holy trinity’ of modern-day supercars — the Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918, and McLaren P1 — Pagani's impossibly impronouncable Huayra has kind of been forgotten.
First released in 2012 as a replacement to the popular Zonda, the Huayra struck chords not just via devastating world-beating performance (at the time) and true supercar looks, but also through just how special everything looked and felt.
Just like the Zonda it replaced, the Huayra featured an incredibly intricate interior jam packed with beautifully machined metals and stunning leather. Style and substance both working together in harmony, fuelled by a healthy handful of Italian gusto and a mega price tag.
And now the Huayra returns to the realms of relevance with this utterly gorgeous Roadster variant — unveiled just before it's formally profiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
And once again, style is backed up by substance. Quite literally in fact, in regards to the car's revised construction to make way for open-top driving. Bucking the trend of most convertible versions of sports cars and supercars, the Huayra (pronounced 'Why-Rah') Roadster is actually some six per cent (80kg) lighter than the original coupe.
What makes that particularly impressive is that the Roadster also manages to be more rigid thanks to new composite materials and a heck of a lot of work behind the curtain from the Italian marque.
Two different roof formats will be offered; a light carbon hard-top with a big hunk of glass that makes it look a lot like its coupe cousin, and a fabric and carbon alternative — for the budget-conscious Pagani shopper.
Naturally the engine, Mercedes-AMG's M158 6.0-litre V12, has also received a bit of a tickle. It now produces 754hp, 34hp more than the original coupe, although torque numbers of “over 1,000Nm” could mean a decrease over the coupe's 1,100Nm. With a weight of 1,280kg, this will eat most other cars alive.
Pagani even got Pirelli to build a new tyre specifically for the Huayra Roadster. They come with a 20-inch wide front, and a 21-inch rear, and they display the initials of Pagani's founder, Horacio Pagani, on the shoulder.
The huge tyres are supported by monstrous carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes, and new lightweight aluminium HiForg suspension that manages to reduce suspension weight by 25 per cent.
All in all, this is an incredible machine. So it's no surprise that it also comes with an incredible price; $3,365,435NZD. Not cheap, but they're only planning to make 100 of these.
That ‘holy trinity’ might have the hype behind them, but Pagani will always edge them for style.
